Personal thoughts, opinions and comments of an independent consultant, political analyst and historian, who lives in Ireland but is aware of the whole world.

11 February 2008

British Embassy Strike continues

Workers at the British Embassy in Dublin will take to the streets for a second one-day strike next Wednesday, February 20th.At lunchtime today a general meeting of the more than 40 members of the Unite trade union voted unanimously to take this next step in support of three colleagues who face compulsory redundancy.

Pickets will again be placed outside the Embassy on Merrion Road in Ballsbridge and at the British Ambassador’s residence in Glencairn. “There is a real sense of purpose among the Embassy workers,” said Unite Regional Officer Colm Quinlan after the meeting. “They are determined to support their colleagues and to stand firm with regard to their own future security of employment.”

Over 40 members of Unite, including trade and industry staff, passport section workers, administration officials and household staff from the Ambassador’s residence picketed the British Embassy in a first one-day strike on Thursday, February 7th, after Ambassador David Reddaway refused to attend the Labour Relations Commission for talks. A skeleton staff of British diplomats manned the headquarters in Ballsbridge as their colleagues took to the streets with banners.

Derek Simpson, General Secretary of the Unite Union which has over 2 million members in Britain and Ireland, has written personally to the British Foreign Secretary David Milliband, MP, asking for his intervention and for "common sense to prevail".

Dublin is the only British embassy worldwide that recognises trade union membership, and there has been a positive and agreed set of procedures dealing with issues and disputes since 2003.

The decision on the compulsory redundancies, which is understood to have originated in London, falls outside those agreed procedures. The individuals affected are locally recruited managers, dealing with UK trade and investment matters in Ireland. Between them they have 20 years of service at the Embassy.

It has also emerged that embassy staff members have lodged a claim for up to € 500,000 in unpaidPAYE allowances, to which they were entitled over the last eight years. The British Embassy - like many others - claims it is not obliged to pay PAYE, because of its diplomatic status. But Unite says other embassies pay money in lieu of the allowance, which the British Embassy stopped doing eight years ago.

Members of the embassy staff are officially registered as "self-employed" and pay and declare their own taxes. Although their employer deducts PRSI, it has never paid PAYE, meaning staff are not eligible for the allowance. Unite has estimated that employees are due a cumulative bill of up to € 10,000 per staff member, amounting to a total bill of between € 250,000 and € 500,000.

Last week the Tanaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) and Minister for Finance, Brian Cowen, TD said that his department had "encouraged" all foreign missions in Ireland to operate the PAYE system for locally hired staff in June 2005.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) said that the British Embassy should "come to its senses". It accused the embassy of "failing to abide by agreed procedures" by forcing redundancies."I find it rather disappointing that the embassy should see fit to ignore the established industrial relations procedures and machinery of this State," said ICTU General Secretary David Begg.

British Embassy staff cannot speak publicly about the dispute, because they are bound by the UK Official Secrets Act. So once again we can see how - after more than 86 years of nominal Irish independence - British laws and rules have still influence on this country and some of its citizens.

Thank you for another comment. Yes, it is a quite interesting case, and certainly the first time I ever heard of an embassy staff going on strike. I suppose it needs employers as bad as the British to provoke such action (and it will be interesting to see where it is going).

I did not read a word about this in any of the UK newspapers, and I can well imagine why. Many thanks for bringing this case to my (and everyone's) attention. Once again you are a source of enlightenment and I commend you on your excellent selection of subjects, which is well matched by your excellent writing style.

As a unite member in Bank of Ireland I fully support our colleagues in dispute at the British Embassy in Dublin & I call on all Unite members to assemble with our striking colleagues at the British Embassy ,Ballsbridge next Wednesday.Showing Solidarity is the only way to defeat unscrupulous employers

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You are indeed most welcome to my humble weblog, to which I post each day a personal column, reflecting my views, thoughts and opinions of the day. Often the entries will be inspired by events and news from Ireland or abroad. Having lived in various countries before I grew solid roots on the Emerald Isle, I take note of many things that happen on the planet.And I have views and opinions.Please be my guest, read and think, and feel free to leave your personal comments as well. They are as welcome as you are here.On the right you also find some additional information, related to Ireland and other matters, for example books I recommend. From time to time I also have opinion polls and appreciate your participation. And if you like what you read, you can subscribe to my weblog (using the box below) and will receive every new entry automatically.And in case you want to find a specific word or subject - on the world-wide web or on one of my two weblogs - then you don't even have to leave the site. Scroll down to the very bottom and you will find a perfect search engine, powered by Google.

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FACTS ABOUT IRELAND

The Emerald Isle

(also known as Ireland) has been inhabited by humans for at least 10,000 years. This image shows the topographical structure of the island, which was until recent times very important and decided in many cases where the people would build their settlements.The oldest surviving monuments in Ireland date from megalithic times between 5000 and 3500 BCE. About 200 BCE the Celts, familiar with the use of iron, conquered the island.

Around 1000 years later Viking raiders from Norway appeared, and in 914 they built the first city in Ireland, calling it "Vadra Fjord" (safe anchorage), which later became Waterford.In 1169 this city was the first to be taken by the Normans, when they invaded and conquered large parts of the island, including the capital Dublin.

In later centuries Ireland became more known for emigrants, as famine, poverty and oppression drove people out into the world. (About 45 million Americans have Irish ancestry.)However, since the unexpected economic boom (known as the "Celtic Tiger"), which we had for about a dozen years, there are now many immigrants on the Emerald Isle, coming from almost everywhere and turning the once quiet and introvert island into a vibrant international community.

Unfortunately the boom turned out to be only a bubble, based on false hopes, speculation and criminal gambling by reckless bankers. So now we are in a deep economic recession, which is made even worse by our current incompetent government.What will happen to Ireland in the future is hard to say, but it all will depend on making the right political, economic, and social decisions.

There is a realistic chance that Ireland could become a major producer of clean energy, and proposals have been presented already to the government and the public. It will now depend on our politicians to make the right decisions. If they do, then we can have a bright and promising future. If not, Ireland is in danger of becoming a poor third-world country.

Ireland's Countryside

is predominantly green. It is said that there are actually forty different shadesofgreen on the island, but few people go around counting.The landscape is rolling, with drumlins, hills and river valleys, and one is never far from the sea in Ireland.Ancient Stones like the one on this photo can be found in many parts of Ireland. They are the remnants of the old religion, which is once again growing on the Emerald Isle.

Ireland's National Flag

was first introduced during the uprising of 1848 in Waterford, Ireland's oldest city, by Thomas Francis Meagher, a native of the city who later rose to prominence as a Union General (and leader of the famous Irish Brigade) during the American Civil War (1861-65).An Bhratach Náisiúnta, as she is called in Irish, is a vertical (revolutionary) tricoleur, inspired by and modeled on the flag of the French Republic.The colours are green, white and orange. They represent the land and the predominantly Catholic nationalist majority (green), the protestant Anglo-Irish minority (orange), and the peace (white) that exists between them.

The flag was used by nationalists in private since 1848 and flown in public again during the Easter Rising of 1916 in Dublin. In 1919 she was adopted as the official flag of the Irish Republic.

Uachtarán na hÉireann

Prof. Mary McAleese is the 8th President of the Republic of Ireland. First elected to the office in 1997 as a representative of the majority government party Fianna Fáil, she is now in her second seven-year term, to which she was elected without opposition in 2004. She is the second female President of the Republic and currently also the longest-serving elected female head of state in the world. Born in Belfast, she encountered the Northern troubles first-hand and her Catholic family was forced out of their house by "loyalist" terrorists. After studying law in Belfast and Dublin, she qualifed as a barrister. In 1975 she was appointed a professor in the legal faculty of Trinity College, Dublin and in 1979 joined RTÉ television as a journalist and presenter. Since 1981 she combined both areas of work, but returned in 1987 to Belfast, as Director of the Institute of Professional Legal Studies at Queen's University, which appointed her Pro-Vice Chancellor in 1994.

An Taoiseach

Brian Cowen, TD is the 12th Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland and the 7th leader of the majority government party Fianna Fáil. In 1984, aged 24, he was elected to the Dáil in the constituency his father Bernhard, a local publican, had represented before. After 8 years in parliament, Cowen was appointed Minister for Labour in 1992. Since then he served as Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications, Minister for Health and Children, and - from 2000 to 2004 - as the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Since 2005 Brian Cowen was Minister for Finance, and since 2007 also Tanaiste (Deputy Prime Minister). When Taoiseach Bertie Ahern declared his resignation on April 2nd, 2008, Cowen was elected unopposed as the new leader of Fianna Fáil on April 9th. On May 7th, 2008 Dáil Eireann elected him Taoiseach. He leads a coalition government inherited from Bertie Ahern and supported by the Green Party and four independent TDs. The now 48-year-old, sometimes referred to as 'Biffo', is married and father of two daughters. A keen Gaelic football fan, he also continues to be president of Clara GAA club.

The Parliament

of Ireland is known as the Houses of the Oireachtas. The House of Deputies (currently 166) is called Dáil Éireann, while 60 Senators form Seanad Éireann, the Senate. Both meet at Leinster House on Dublin's Kildare Street (above). The former city residence of the Duke of Leinster was sold in 1815 to the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) which added two new wings, to accomodate the National Library and the National Museum. After the formation of the Irish Free State in 1922 the central part was chosen as the provisional parliament chamber (until some proper building would be found). Despite plans to turn the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, into the seat of the Oireachtas, it never happened. So Leinster House is still at the heart of Irish politics. And when Irish architect James Hoban designed the White House in Washington, D.C., he modeled it on Leinster House.

A few words about me

Having been born into an old European family (with 75% of the genes Celtic) I learned early that history and traditions are very important. After a quite turbulent childhood and youth, spent in different countries on three continents, I joined the Navy, served for many years in ships, other commands, and became a historian.
After leaving the Navy I worked in a museum and national monument, taught in school and college, edited a magazine and worked as journalist and broadcaster. Now I earn my crust as an independent consultant and analyst. In my scarce spare time I am involved in various social activities and charity work, write and read a lot, and sometimes even find time for painting.
My house is old and small, and I share it with a cat. Living a simple Spartan life, I eat vegetarian food and do not enjoy alcohol and most entertainments.
Life is too short to be wasted on fripperies. Every day is needed to do one's share - no matter how small it might be - to save the planet and its living creatures.

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The HSE, as seen by "Green Ink"

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